The present invention relates to a process for producing bean curd as placed in containers.
Such a process is known which comprises heat-sterilizing an amount of soybean milk sufficient for preparing one lot of bean curd, storing the sterilized milk in a heat-insulating tank while cooling the milk at a temperature of up to 10.degree. C., admixing a coagulant with the milk as delivered from the tank, filling the mixture into containers, sealing off the containers, and heating the sealed containers to coagulate the mixture within the containers.
In the above process, the soybean milk is cooled to a temperature of up to 10.degree. C. because if the temperature exceeds 10.degree. C., the milk becomes impaired in flavor and quality. However, when the milk having a temperature of up to 10.degree. C. and drawn off from the tank is to be coagulated with the coagulant admixed therewith, it is likely that the milk will not coagulate smoothly and uniformly, while the bean curd obtained is not smoothly releasable from the container. Thus, the process has the problem that when to be withdrawn from the container, the bean curd partly remains adhered to the container and is not withdrawable therefrom smoothly.